Lakeland, Florida isn't the first place people think of when they picture a prep basketball factory, but Southeastern Prep has spent the last three years quietly building one. The program, now in its seventh year under head coach Marcus Teague, has become a destination for mid-major standouts who outgrow their local programs and need a runway to high-major offers. This season, that runway belongs to two names: CJ Rosser and Beckham Black, a backcourt-to-frontcourt pairing that has turned Southeastern Prep into one of the most scouted rosters in the Class of 2027.
A Program Built for This Moment
Southeastern Prep doesn't recruit nationally the way Montverde Academy or IMG Academy does. Teague's model is regional and deliberate — find Florida and Georgia talent that AAU exposure hasn't fully priced yet, then let a 32-game independent schedule against national opponents do the rest. It worked with 2025 graduate Jaylen Moore, a 6-foot-5 wing who arrived unranked as a junior and left as a top-100 composite recruit before signing with Ole Miss. Moore started 19 games as a true freshman last season and averaged 14.1 points per game in SEC play, and his jump has become the program's calling card with college coaches who now return Teague's calls faster.
That credibility matters this fall. Southeastern Prep played a July slate that included a trip to the Peach Jam bracket with its program-affiliated EYBL circuit team, and the roster held its own against programs with far bigger recruiting budgets. The results showed up almost immediately in the rankings: Rosser and Black both climbed inside the 247Sports Composite top 60 for the 2027 class after July, and three other rotation players picked up their first Power Conference offers.
With the November 2026 early National Letter of Intent signing period just weeks away, Southeastern Prep is positioned to produce multiple high-major signees from a single senior class for the first time in program history. That's the backdrop for everything happening in Lakeland right now.
CJ Rosser: The Engine Running the Offense
Rosser is a 6-foot-3 combo guard who controls tempo in a way that doesn't show up fully in the box score, though the box score is plenty impressive on its own — 22.4 points, 6.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game last season, with a 38 percent clip from three on nearly seven attempts a night. He's a four-star in the 247Sports Composite, ranked No. 47 nationally and No. 6 among point guards in the 2027 class.
What separates Rosser from the volume-scoring guards flooding this recruiting cycle is his shot selection discipline. He attacks ball screens with purpose rather than hunting highlight packages, and Teague has given him total control of Southeastern Prep's offense because of it. Playing for the Florida Rebels Elite on the EYBL circuit this spring, Rosser faced some of the best point-of-attack defenders in the country and still posted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in every tournament stop, including a 9-assist, 1-turnover performance at Peach Jam against a loaded Georgia Stars backcourt.
Offers have followed accordingly. Florida, Alabama, Memphis and Xavier have all extended, and sources close to the program expect at least two more Power Conference offers before the early signing period opens. Rosser has not set an official visit schedule publicly, but programs in the mix are pushing hard to get him on campus before Thanksgiving. His full recruiting profile, including offer history and junior-season splits, is available on PrepRadar's CJ Rosser page.
Beckham Black: A Modern Forward with Pro Upside
If Rosser is the steady hand, Beckham Black is the headline act. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward is a five-star in the 247Sports Composite, ranked No. 19 nationally in the 2027 class, and he plays like a prospect who already knows where this is headed. Black averaged 17.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game as a junior, and he's shooting it from distance now too — 34 percent on three-point attempts that have nearly tripled in volume since his sophomore year.
Black's game translates because he's genuinely positionless. He can switch onto guards in space, protect the rim as a weak-side helper, and initiate offense from the elbow, a skill set that college staffs are prioritizing as the sport trends smaller and faster. At Peach Jam in July, Black had a 24-point, 14-rebound outing against a Nike EYBL frontcourt that included multiple top-40 recruits, and it was that performance — more than any single highlight — that triggered a wave of high-major interest.
Kentucky, Duke, Arkansas and Houston have all offered, and Black has mentioned interest in making decisions based on development track record rather than name recognition alone, according to comments he's made to recruiting media this fall. NIL conversations are already part of the process; Black has fielded outreach from at least one on-campus collective tied to a Big 12 program, a reflection of how far down the recruiting calendar NIL negotiations now start. His complete scouting breakdown and measurement history are tracked on PrepRadar's Beckham Black profile.
The Supporting Cast Pushing the Pace
Rosser and Black get the headlines, but Southeastern Prep's depth is what makes the program dangerous on a national schedule rather than just talented. Point guard Trey Dunbar, a 6-foot-1 junior in the 2028 class, has already drawn interest from Georgia and South Florida as a true floor general who can play off the ball alongside Rosser. Wing Amir Castellano, also a 2028 prospect, is shooting better than 40 percent from three on a limited sample and projects as the program's next breakout once Rosser and Black move on.
This depth is partly why Teague's system works. Opposing coaches can't simply load up on Rosser or sag off to take away Black's rolls to the rim, because Southeastern Prep punishes single-coverage decisions with capable shooters and cutters around them. The program's offensive efficiency numbers reflect that balance — Southeastern Prep shot 37 percent as a team from three last season, well above the national prep average, while also ranking top-15 nationally in points per possession generated off ball screens per Synergy's prep-level tracking data.
That infrastructure is also why college programs trust the pipeline. When Jaylen Moore signed with Ole Miss, Rebels assistants specifically cited Southeastern Prep's ball-screen offense as proof he'd be ready for SEC-level reads immediately. Expect similar language from whichever programs ultimately land Rosser and Black this cycle.
What's Next Before Signing Day
Both players are entering the most consequential stretch of their recruitments. Rosser has indicated he wants his decision finalized before the early signing period opens in November, which puts pressure on suitors like Florida and Memphis to close now rather than wait for the spring. Black has been less committal on timeline, and his camp has suggested a decision could stretch into the regular signing period in April 2027 if the right fit hasn't emerged by then.
Watch for Southeastern Prep's non-conference schedule this winter, which includes a marquee matchup against a nationally ranked Oak Hill Academy squad in January. Both Rosser and Black will see elevated competition levels in those games, and college evaluators will be courtside taking notes that could shift final rankings before the Class of 2027's recruiting cycle closes.
Key Takeaways
- CJ Rosser is a four-star point guard (No. 47 nationally, 247Sports Composite) averaging 22.4 points and 6.1 assists per game, with offers from Florida, Alabama, Memphis and Xavier.
- Beckham Black is a five-star forward (No. 19 nationally) averaging 17.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, drawing offers from Kentucky, Duke, Arkansas and Houston.
- Southeastern Prep's Peach Jam appearance in July was the catalyst for both players' recruiting surges, with multiple Power Conference offers following directly from their performances there.
- The program's track record — highlighted by 2025 grad Jaylen Moore's immediate SEC production at Ole Miss — gives college staffs confidence in the development pipeline.
- The November 2026 early signing period is the first major checkpoint; Rosser appears closer to a decision than Black, who may stretch his recruitment into spring 2027.
Southeastern Prep's rise says as much about the shifting geography of prep basketball as it does about two talented teenagers. Programs without blue-blood name recognition can still produce high-major signees if the system, schedule and exposure align — and in Lakeland this fall, they have.